How To Get Skinny Calves

Admin | April 16, 2011 - 12:14 am

how to get skinny calvesThere are really two factors that determine the size of your calf muscles. One is your genetics and the other is their strength. If you are female you may not be satisfied at all with larger calf muscles even though they are synonymous with strength. Men on the other hand, desire larger muscles so it’s not as big of an issue for them.

If you are genetically prone to having larger calf muscles (your parents or your grandparents had larger calf muscles) then you may have a harder time getting them slimmed down. However, don’t lose all hope! There are things you can do to slim down these stubborn muscles.

How To Slim Down Calves: The 5 Rules

When you’re trying to figure out how to get skinny calves you need to follow a few set of simple rules. Below I’ve listed 5 of these rules. Remember, this part of your body is notoriously difficult to manage so you may have to put a little more work into making them the size and shape that you want.

1. You want to do some cardiovascular exercises. But not just ANY cardio. You want to only engage in cardio exercises that elongate your calf muscles. The exercises that will allow you to accomplish this are walking, running, jogging and swimming. Running, jogging and swimming are exercises that elongate your calves because of a heel-to-toe motion. Swimming works a different way but produces the same results. These types of exercises work to TONE the muscles, not build them up which is exactly what you want to do.

Learn more about how to get smaller calves.

If I had to choose any of these exercises I would choose either walking or swimming. With swimming it’s less impact so it’s better for your body. Plus there’s virtually no resistance for your calves. With running or jogging make sure you don’t climb hills as this can cause you to build muscle instead of simply toning it.



2. You want to lift weights but you want to make sure you lift LIGHT weights. When you do exercises for your calf muscles you want to make sure that you do a LOT of repetitions with a very light weight. Try to make sure you do a minimum of 20. If you use a heavier weight and do less repetitions then you’re going to build muscle and that’s not what you want. You may not even want to use weights at all. Just use your own body weight.

3. Stretch, stretch, stretch! The goal of learning how to get thinner calves is learning how to elongate them and that’s exactly what stretching does. When you stretch you elongate and this promotes less bulk and more of a longer, leaner muscle fiber. Try stretching a few times a week and after each workout.

4. Do some Yoga! Yoga not only helps you build strength (but not bulk), but it also centers you, increases your flexibility, calms your mind, and elongates the muscles (there’s that word again). Yoga typically works the entire body but your calf muscles will definitely get a workout. I firmly believe that Yoga (and to some extent Pilates) are simply the best exercises for women. Yoga is fantastic and I highly recommend it.

5. There is a surgical option available. I don’t condone this option but I wanted to list it here so you know what ALL of your options for reducing your calf muscles are. The surgical procedure itself involves actually removing portions of your muscle to “slim” the area (YIKES!). This is not a minor surgery and involves any of the risks that come with such a procedure (scarring, nerve damage, death, etc.). If you decide that this may be the option you want to go with make SURE you talk with your doctor beforehand.

I hope these tips help you slim down those calf muscles.


Posted in Legs | Tagged how to get skinny calves, how to get thinner calves, how to slim down calves | Leave a comment

How To Lose Hip Fat

Admin | March 28, 2011 - 7:20 pm

how to lose hip fatIf you’re looking to learn how to get rid of hip fat then you should know that you do have options. What you should understand up front is that you shouldn’t expect an overnight miracle.  We (women) are genetically programmed to store fat for child birth and breastfeeding which makes it a bit difficult to get rid of.

Also, you should know that you can’t simply “target” hip fat.  You can’t actually “target” fat anywhere on your body.  In order to sim down your hips, buttocks, legs, arms, neck, face, etc. you can’t simply do exercises for that area.  You need to do whole-body exercises (cardio such as jogging, walking, swimming, bicycling, etc.).

How To Lose Hip Fat

In order to slim down and melt the fat off your hips you’re going to need to do cardio to burn off excess calories.  The magic number is 500 calories per day.  If you can burn off this many per day then you can lose 1 to 2 pounds per week.  It’s not easy to hit this many and if you aren’t used to exercise you’re going to have to start out slow.

You should be aiming for around 60 minutes of cardio, 5 to 7 days a week if you really want to get rid of the fat on your hips (learn how to burn fat at home if you hate the gym).   I know that to some people, working out is a big pain but if you find something you enjoy you will have less trouble accomplishing it.  If you don’t like to run try vigorous walking.  Put a weight vest on when you walk and you can burn 10 to 15% more calories per session.

You will also want to add some weight resistance to your routine.  Building up muscle tone will help you burn many more calories as well as helping you feel and LOOK younger.

Your Eating Habits

Counting calories can be a chore so if you’re are opposed then an easy way to do it would be to simply limit the amount of junk food you consume. Get rid of foods that are greasy, salty, sweet, and processed. You can actually lose weight rather quickly if you get rid of food such as these. You should also try to stop drinking alcohol. Alcohol contains quite a bit of calories and it also slows down your metabolism.

You should also try to keep your appetite and check and I don’t think you should try any type of diet pill as most of them come with some pretty nasty side effects. We should do instead is drink lots of water and try to drink lots of green tea. Water and green tea will both fill you up and also increase your metabolism. Green tea has quite a few positive benefits such as caffeine, which is an appetite suppressant, and an ingredient that increases metabolism.

What you do NOT want to do is starve yourself.  First and foremost you’re going to deprive your muscles of nutrients they need to build and burn calories.  Secondly when you fast your body releases hormones that cause you to crave more food. It’s possible for you to learn how to satisfy hunger without eating but be careful and don’t over do it.


Your Sleep

Researchers have found that those people who get from 7 to 8 hour sleep per night actually lose more weight than those who don’t. There are certain hormones in your body that rise and fall depending on how much sleep you have. If you don’t get enough sleep, hormones that can make you hungry are higher than the hormones that make you eat less. If you’ve gotten the right amount of sleep then these hormones are balanced and you will not feel hungry the next day.

Exercises For Hips

While you can’t target hip fat you can do the following exercises to help strengthen and tone those areas.

The lying abduction

lying abductor exercise

With this exercise you want to lie on one side and put your head in your hand with your elbow on the floor. Lying on the ground you want to keep both legs straight out from your torso with your toes pointed forward. Raise your top leg until it comes to a 45° angle with the floor. Hold this pose for 5 seconds and lower your leg. Repeat this exercise for 10 to 20 more times and then switch legs.

The standing abduction

standing hip abduction

Stand straight up with your feet about hip distance apart. Standing a straight up as you possibly can, lift your right leg out to the side. You want to lift your leg as far as you can but you don’t want to lose your balance.  Lift your right leg up ten to twenty times and then switch over to your left leg.


Posted in Legs | Tagged exercises for hips, hip fat burning exercises, how to get rid of hip fat, how to lose hip fat | Leave a comment

How To Get Thinner Legs

Admin | March 26, 2011 - 3:46 am

how to get thinner legsMany women have problems with their bodies (Lord knows I do) and one of the place on our bodies that we most would like to work on are our legs.   Having nice legs does not have to be a difficult thing.  In fact, it’s not as hard as you might think.  The only problem is that when you are learning how to get thinner legs you have to face the reality that you’re going to have to cut out some things from your diet and you’re going to have to do some exercises.

When I first started losing weight, slimming down my legs was one of the tougher parts.  It’s the same for most women, actually.  And it’s not for any random reasons.  Actually, it’s mother nature we can all blame.  Our bodies are built to store fat for when we give birth so we have that fat to thrive off of when we nurse the baby and that fat is often stored in our legs.  This makes learning how to get slim legs a little more clear because you now know why it may be a bit more difficult to get rid of leg fat.

Learn more:
How To Lose Weight On Your Thighs
How To Get Rid Of Thigh Fat
Top 5 Exercises For Your Thighs

How To Get Skinner Legs With Exercise

Exercise is SO key for not just slimming down your legs but for being healthy overall.  And I’m not talking about hiring a professional trainer.  You don’t have to brace yourself for 3 hours a day at the gym.  You can burn enough calories every day doing things you like.  You can take an hour walk and lose 250 calories.  You can swim for an hour and burn 520 calories.  You can ride your bike for an hour and burn 500 calories.  You don’t have to go to the gym and run on a treadmill like a hamster on a wheel if you don’t want to.  However, some gyms have walking/running tracks inside which can be very valuable when the weather is less than ideal.

What you want to focus on is burning off around 300 to 500 calories per day.  At this rate you will lose around .5 to 1 pound per week.  Obviously if you burn off more calories you’ll lose more weight.  It really depends on how driven you are.

Now when you are learning how to get rid of leg fat you should know that there are several ways to get rid of 500 calories a day.   You can eat the same diet you are now and just burn off an additional 500 calories by working out, you can cut out 500 calories a day from your diet, or you can exercise and lose 250 calories and then cut 250 calories from your diet.  Any way you want to do it will work just fine.

Knowing how to lose leg and thigh fat should include some resistance training.  Now, this is optional but you really should consider it.  Building and toning muscle is very important for not only just burning calories (the more muscle you have the more calories you burn) but for your life-long mobility.  Training with weights or other resistance equipment builds muscles and building muscles prevents disease and actually slows down the aging process! Research has shown that cells within our bodies that fight aging actually work harder and longer when we lift weights.  So think about that when you spurn going to the gym!


How To Get Rid Of Fat Legs With Your Diet

Eating healthy is a very important part of  your plan to cut down on leg fat, especially if you want to know how to lose leg fat without gaining muscle.  If you don’t want to exercise but want to lose leg fat then you should really focus on your diet.  This means cutting out everything that’s bad for you.  No more fast food, no more donuts, no more candy, no more cakes, no more pies, etc. Basically anything that’s sugary, fatty, or processed should be eliminated from your diet.

To effectively cut down on the fat in your body by diet alone you’ll need to cut out at least 400 calories per day (500 to get maximum results).  Now you can lose around 300 but you won’t see results as quickly.  A 3,500 calorie a week deficit means that your body will be burning an excess pound of fat from your body.  And that fat will come from your legs.

You’ll want to eat fresh fruits, vegetables, fish, lean meats, whole grains, and nuts.  Now, you don’t have to go around like a caveman and eat all this stuff raw.  What you should do is learn how to cook (if you don’t already know how).  There are thousands of cookbooks that show you how to cook healthy foods.  Try the Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan

This diet is LOADED with lots of delicious and super-healthy foods that are easy to make.  One of my favorite cookbooks is Reader’s Digest Encyclopedia Of Italian Cooking.  It’ has over 1,000 authentic Italian recipes that are simple to make and incredibly delicious.  You can pick one up at Amazon for cheap.


Posted in Legs | Tagged get rid of leg fat, how to get rid of fat legs, how to get rid of leg fat, how to get skinnier legs, how to get slim legs, how to get thinner legs, how to lose leg and thigh fat, how to lose leg fat without gaining muscle | Leave a comment

How To Get Skinny Thighs With The Right Diet

Admin | March 26, 2011 - 3:18 am

how to get skinny thighsAs a female, hormones play a huge part of where your body stores fat.  And these hormones will place fat in 3 primary places:  Your butt, your hips, and your thighs.   It’s hard to figure out how to get skinny thighs because once the fat ends up in these areas it can be pretty stubborn and hard to get rid of.  The reason for this is birthing process.

Pregnant women gain weight in the hip and thigh area mostly because that is where they draw their nutrients from when breast feeding.

Of course, if you’re wanting to know how to have skinny thighs,  you probably don’t really give a crap about evolution and breastfeeding a baby :) – you just want to get rid of it!

Well, in that case, let me show you how to slim down thighs and get the sexy legs you’ve always wanted.

How To Slim Down Thighs Fast With Your Diet

What you eat is crucial if you want to lose weight.  There are actually 2 factors that play the largest role in any kind of weight loss and that’s diet and exercise.  In this article I’m going to only go over diet and show you how, with the right food choices, you can slim down your thighs.  If you want to increase the speed at which you lose thigh fat you should also include daily cardiovascular activities like running, bicycling, or jogging.  Exercises like Yoga and Pilates are also great ways to build and tone muscle which will help you burn a lot more calories than diet alone.

With your diet you want to strictly limit (or completely do away with) the amount of processed, fatty, sugary, and salty foods that you eat.  This includes fast food, donuts, candy, cakes, cookies, chips, etc.    You also want to limit your consumption of booze.  Cutting back on alcohol can greatly increase your bodies ability to burn calories and fat.  Did you know that 90 calories of vodka can slow your metabolism down by 74%!

What can really help you limit the daily calories you consume are Herbal Appetite Suppressants.  Natural suppressants are foods that are VERY low in calories.  In fact, they are so low in calories that you can eat as much as you want and not worry about the calories at all.

What you want to eat are vegetables, fish, lean meats, whole grains, fruits, and nuts.  These foods may not sound that appetizing to you but when you prepare them correctly they can be tastier than any food you can buy at a restaurant.   That’s why you should learn to cook if you don’t know how to already.  Get some cookbooks that have healthy, low calorie meals.  Cooking is fun and it’s actually a great way to burn calories!  You can burn up to 100 calories an hour just cooking.

Another great way for you to learn how to get rid of inner thigh fat is by knowing which foods you can eat that will actually allow you to burn calories and target the fat deposits on your body.


Here are 3 foods that actually burn fat:

1.Green Tea – This drink is delicious and contains a whole host of beneficial compounds.  The two most important ones for you know are caffeine and EGCG which is an antioxidant.  These two compounds in the tea will actually increase your metabolism and help your body burn more calories and fat.  Try to get around 2 to 4 cups a day for this to be the most effective.

2.Drink Water, Lots Of Water!   Get rid of sugary soft drinks (this includes diet drinks) and juices and only drink water.   Water is the “wonder liquid” because it does a lot more than you probably think.  It flushes out your system getting rid of toxins and salts.  It keeps you hydrated which makes you sleep better, think better, and feel better overall.  It raises your metabolism and can actually help you burn more calories (if you drink cold water your body has to expend energy, i.e. burn calories, to warm the water up).  Also one of the best dieting tricks I know of is to drink a full glass of water right before a meal so you don’t eat as much.

3.Almonds.  Raw almonds are one of nature’s super foods.  They contain all sorts of goodies for your body like healthy fats, fiber, and protein.  No other nut will help you more when you are learning how to lose upper thigh fat.   They make the perfect snack because they have fiber which fills you up and keeps you fuller longer (because fiber takes longer to digest).  Also, scientists have found that people who eat a few ounces of raw almonds on a daily basis lost more weight and burned more calories than those who didn’t.

Lose 500 Calories A Day And You’ll Lose 1 Pound A Week

This is a very important number that you should know when you’re trying to learn the best way for how to burn inner thigh fat and make your legs skinny, toned, and sexy.  If you cut back on just 500 calories a day you will lose from 1 to 2 pounds per week.  Now you can do this several ways.  You can exercise to get rid of it and continue eating the same diet you have been or you can alter your diet to cut out the calories.

If you decide to do it through your diet there are many ways to get rid of this many calories per day.  I have a whole article written about it here:  How To Lose 500 Calories Per Day

A few of my favorites are pretty simple:

1.Cut back on bread.  One slice of bread is 110-120 calories.  If you cut bread out of your diet altogether you can seriously cut back on calories each day.
2.Cut out any drinks besides tea and water.  Sugary drinks can contain LOADS of calories.  Some as high as 250 calories per serving.
3.Cut out chips. A bag of potato chips can contain 300-400 or more calories.  It’s not worth it in the long run.
4.STOP eating fast food.  A small fast food meal can contain a whopping 800-1,000 calories. That’s like 2 meals rolled into one.  Not to mention the fact that it contains loads of sugars and fats that are terrible for your cardiovascular system.

So when you want to slim down your thighs take these diet tips to heart.  If you can follow them and stick with it then you will find in few short months that you’re legs are exactly how you want them!


Posted in Legs | Tagged how to burn inner thigh fat, how to get rid of inner thigh fat, how to get skinny thighs, how to have skinny thighs, how to lose upper thigh fat, how to slim down thighs, how to slim down thighs fast | Leave a comment

How To Lose Weight On Your Thighs

Admin | March 14, 2011 - 12:10 am

how to slim down your thighs

Losing weight on your thighs is not much different than losing fat in any other area of your body.  Just like belly fat, arm fat, or chin fat, you have to focus on exercise and diet to eliminate it.

The problem that you’re going to run into when you want to slim down parts of your legs (or other parts of your body) is that you can’t simply “target” the fat on your thighs.  Sure, you can do thigh exercises that will strengthen your thigh muscles, but it won’t make your thighs slim down faster than other parts of your body.

Your body burns fat overall, not just in the area that’s in motion.  The same goes for belly fat.  You can sit-ups till the cows come home but it’s not going to make your belly fat go away.

running to slim down your thighs

Slimming Down Your Thighs With Exercise

To eliminate fat from any part of your body you have to get active and cut calories.  One of the most crucial elements of eliminating thigh fat from your body is cardiovascular exercise.  Swimming, running, bicycling, etc. are great forms of cardiovascular exercise.  Without it you won’t get the results you want.  You should try and do at least 30 to 60 minutes of cardio per day to get rid of thigh fat.  What you’re looking for are exercises that require you to put forth a sustained effort. You don’t want to do exercises for cellulite that only require short bursts of energy.  To burn fat you want to run 3-5 miles, not run several 100 yard sprints.  The longer you run the more fat you’re going to burn.



Of course, make sure you are ready to run before you start.  Don’t just get up right now and run 5 miles if you’re not physically ready for it.  Make sure you’re at the right fitness level.  If you’re not then start out slowly and build your way up.  Walk for a while and then jog for a while.  Start out with a mile and then work your way up to 5 or more.  And, as always, talk to your doctor before starting any new diet or exercise routine.

Add weights to your exercise routine.  You don’t  have to lift weights like Arnold but you should incorporate resistance training into your regular exercise routines.  The more muscle tissue that you have in your body and the stronger it is the more calories and the more fat you’re going to burn.  Also, don’t simply lift weights with your legs.  Spread it out all over your body so your whole body’s muscle to fat ratio is improved.  This will help you burn a LOT more fat and calories.

diet to slim down your thighs

The Right Diet To Make Your Thighs Smaller

With your diet you’re going to need to cut back on calories.  The approximate number you want to cut back is around 500 per day.  If you can get rid of 300-500 calories per day you should be able to lose about 1 to 2 pounds of fat per week.  Now, this doesn’t mean you should starve yourself to get rid of your thigh fat.  This won’t work.  Starving yourself only forces your body to STORE fat, not burn it faster. So keep yourself full but do it with lower calorie foods like fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and whole-grains.

Eat 5 to 6 small meals a day so your metabolism keeps running.  And eat a decent sized, balanced breakfast EVERY morning!  Try some oatmeal with frozen blueberries or strawberries.  Add a touch of brown sugar and you’ve got yourself a delicious, nutritious breakfast that will rev up your metabolism for the day and keep you full until lunch.  Oatmeal has lots of fiber in it and that’s what you want.  Get a lot of fiber in the morning as it will keep you fuller longer so you’ll eat less.  If you have to have a mid-morning snack try a banana, some apple slices, or some peanut butter and celery.

Eat some fat-burning foods.  Try some almonds, eggs, beans, fish (specifically salmon and tuna), peanut butter, green vegetables, skim milk, avocados, green tea, parmigiano-reggiano cheese, whole grain cereal, jalapeno peppers, habanero peppers, cayenne chillies, skinless baked chicken, coffee, pork, and turkey.  The nutrients in those foods help raise your metabolism and boost  your muscle development and keep you full with protein so that you burn off thigh fat or any other fat that you want to get rid of much, much faster.

How To Get Thinner Thighs


Posted in Legs | Tagged burn off thigh fat, eliminating thigh fat, get rid of thigh fat, How To Lose Weight On Your Thighs, losing weight on your thighs | 11 Comments

How To Get Rid Of Thigh Fat

Admin | March 10, 2011 - 11:52 pm

how to get rid of thigh fatThigh fat can be extremely stubborn and difficult to deal with.  But, the good news is, it’s not impossible to eliminate.  In this article I will go over how to get rid of thigh fat with specific diet and exercise tips.

Your Diet

There are certain foods that you can eat that will BURN fat!  It’s true!  Green tea, for instance, can raise your metabolism by 4%.  And the higher your metabolism the more calories you’re going to burn.  The Green Tea contains something called EGCG which is an antioxidant compound.  This is what boosts your metabolism.  To get this effect you’ll need to drink 2 or 3 cups of the tea per day (or you can take a Green Tea supplement).

You need to drink lots of water.  Don’t think that if you drink more water you’ll get bloated or retain it.  That’s a common misconception.  Being dehydrated can make you GAIN weight plus it can make you feel less energetic.  So get as much water as you can.  Substitute water or non-sweetened iced tea for other sugary beverages and you’ll knock out a lot of daily calories.  Plus drinking cold water forces your body to warm it and when it does this it burns calories.

Do you like almonds?  If so, you’re in luck!  Almonds are one of those foods that contains a TON of nutrients.  They contain healthy fats which keep you full, fiber which keeps your digestive system running smoothly and protein which keeps your muscles happy.  Also, the latest research has found that eating several ounces of almonds each day can help you increase your weight loss.  Don’t overdo it though because they are high in calories.  Just about a handful a day is enough.

Absolutely, positively limit or completely cut out all of the processed, sugary, salty foods from your diet.  These are not good for your thighs and they certainly aren’t good for your health.  If you want to burn thigh fat off then you should replace these unhealthy snacks with healthy snacks like fruits, vegetables, and nuts.

Try and cut back on the booze to get rid of thigh fat.  If you drink alcohol try to limit your intake.  Research has discovered that when you drink alcohol it’s broken down into a substance called acetate and if this substance is present in your body then your body will burn it, instead of fat.


Your Sleep

This may sound crazy but if you don’t get enough sleep then it could be a major factor in your inability to lose weight.  Scientists have discovered that when you don’t get enough sleep your body produces a substance called ghrelin that increases your hunger.  They also discovered that when you do get the appropriate amount of sleep that you body produces another substance called leptin which actually limits your hunger.  So try to get some sleep and see how it impacts your thigh weight loss.

Your Exercise

Getting rid of thigh fat is MUCH easier if you include regular exercise.   One of the most crucial forms of exercise that you need to burn thigh fat is cardiovascular exercise.  It’s important for you to understand that you can’t simply do thigh exercises to burn thigh fat.  Your body doesn’t work that way.   Your body burns fat from all over your body and not just the part that you are exercising.  The best way to MELT fat off your whole body (including your thighs) is to do some cardio daily for about 30 to 60 minutes.  Cardio includes exercises such as running, biking, swimming, elliptical, etc.

You should also incorporate weight training or weight resistance into your workout.  This is important because the stronger and more toned your muscles are the more calories you’re going to burn when you work out (or do anything else—even sleep!).   And when you do weight training do all-over weight training, not just your thighs.  If you work with your whole body it will increase your body’s muscle to fat ratio which means your body will burn more fat even if you’re just sitting on the couch watching television.

Try pilates or yoga or pilates for losing thigh fat.  These can really help you build muscle and burn fat quickly.  They are both focused on making your entire body stronger, leaner, and more balanced.  Plus they are both an excellent way to relieve stress (which can help you lose weight because stress makes you gain weight).

Try and be more active on a daily basis and I’m not talking about going to the gym.  Just in your day-to-day life.  Take more walks with the dog or at the park.  Play with your kids instead of watching them play.  One of my favorite things to do is to take my kids to the park with one of those big bubble wands.  We blow bubbles and then chase them around for about an hour.  It’s great exercise for me and it wears them out (which makes bedtime easier :) .    Also, try parking further from work or the grocery, keep 5 lb weights in the kitchen and use them while you wait for water to boil, take the stairs, walk around the house while on the phone instead of sitting down, etc.  Find ways to be active and you’ll burn a lot more calories and thigh fat than you thought possible.


Posted in Legs | Tagged burn thigh fat, getting rid of thigh fat, How To Get Rid Of Thigh Fat, losing thigh fat, thigh weight loss | 4 Comments

Top 5 Exercises For Thighs

Admin | March 9, 2011 - 2:03 am

exercises for thighsMy top 5 exercises for thighs will help you slim down and tone up your thigh area.  Remember to start slowly if you haven’t exercised before (or if it’s been a while).  And, as always, consult a doctor before starting any thigh exercise routine.

Number One: The Squat With Ball

The squat is one of the best exercises for thighs that you can do.  Here’s how you do it:

Get a large inflatable exercise ball (pictured below) and place it between the curve of your lower back and a wall.  Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.  With knees bent, lower yourself around five to ten inches.  Make sure to keep your hips square and your shoulders level.  Hold this position for three to five seconds and then slowly raise to the standing position.

If you’re just starting out you may want to start with three to five reps and work your way up to twelve to fifteen.  In between you want to rest for thirty to forty five seconds.

squat with ball thigh exercise

Number Two:  The Flamingo Balance

This thigh exercise is a bit more complicated so it may take you a bit of time to get it right.  However it’s an excellent exercise for your thighs so it’s worth the effort. Here’s how to do it:

With a dumbell in your right hand, you want to stand with your left hand on your left hip.  Now, lean forward slightly while lifting your left foot and leg to about the same height as your hip.  At the same time you are doing this bring your right arm with the weight forward.

Turn your right hand so that your palm is facing the ceiling and curl your bicep.

Bring your toes on your left food down briefly, and then repeat the whole process 5 to 12 times.  Make sure you keep your left leg straight while your right knee is bent.

After 5 to 12 reps then you want to switch sides.  Stand with your left foot forward.  Take the dumbell in your left hand and lean forward while raising your right leg up behind you to hip height.  At the same time move your left arm forward, turn your palm to the ceiling and curl your bicep.

Touch the toes on your left foot down for a second and then repeat the process 5 to 12 times.

flamingo balance thigh workout

Number Three:  The Plyometric Squat

This is one of my favorite thigh workouts. You can really do this anytime you feel like it.  You don’t need any weights, balls, chairs, etc.  Just enough room to stand and squat.    Here’s how you do it:

Stand up with your feet about shoulder-width apart.  Slowly squat down until your knees are bent at about a ninety degree angle.  Now, jump up and when you come down softly land in the squat position.  When you jump you want to utilize the strength in your thighs to push you up.  It’s important that to avoid injury you land softly and keep your knees bent.

plyometric squat thigh exercise


Number Four:  The Toe Squat With An Overhead Reach

This exercise really utilizes the thighs and can really tone and build lean muscle.  Here’s how you do it:

Put yourself in a “chair pose.”  You want to imagine that you are sitting in a chair that’s invisible.  If you’re new to exercising this may be difficult so try and “sit” down as far as you can.  Some people may be able to “sit” down further than others.  Just do the best you can.

You want to make sure that your ankles and inner knees are touching and your abs are engaged.  Then raise both arms straight above your head.  If you want you can use a dumbell with this exercise.  Keep your knees and ankles together.  Don’t let them drift apart.  Imagine you have to hold a sheet of paper in between them without dropping it.

Now, in this position, come up onto the balls of your feet and lift your buttox about four inches.   Do this slowly and make sure to keep yourself steady.  Lift and lower your rear-end eight to fifteen times depending on your fitness level.

toe squat for thighs

Number Five:  The Plie

Number five of our top exercises for thighs is called the plie.  This exercises works on the back of the thighs and also helps develop your buttox.   Here’s how you do it:

You want to be standing with your feet pointed out and slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.  Lift your arms up, straight out in front of you.  Then lower yourself into a squat.

Slowly raise yourself up and then repeat.  Try to go as low into the squat as you possible can without letting your knees move out past your toes.

It’s important for this exercise that you keep your back straight and that you don’t let your knees push out past your toes.  Also try to contract your glutes and keep your tailbone tucked under.

the plie exercise for thighs

Do this for about one minute.

These are the top five thigh exercises.  Remember to go slowly and take your time.  Also be sure that you are warmed up and stretched before you do any exercises to prevent injury.


Posted in Legs | Tagged Exercises For Thighs, thigh exercise, thigh exercise routine, thigh exercises, thigh workouts | 1 Comment